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Tarleton State University Athletics

9-12-24 Preview

Women's Volleyball Tristan Beasley

Tarleton State Volleyball continues road trip at Northern Arizona Invitational in Flagstaff

The Teams: Tarleton State Texans (0-6, 0-0 WAC), New Mexico (5-1, 0-0 Mountain West), Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (2-4, 0-0 Big Sky) 
Where: Flagstaff, Arizona
Stadium: Rolle Activity Center (1,210) 
Time: 3 p.m. CT on Friday. 1 p.m. CT on Saturday 
Streaming Platform: ESPN+ on Saturday, No stream Friday
 
TEXAN VOLLEYBALL GAME DAY
  • The Texans continue their season with their last road tournament in Flagstaff, Arizona.  
  • Tarleton is coming off of a road trip to Minnesota where they participated at the Tommie Invitational, hosted by St. Thomas.  
  • The tournament will be held on Friday and Saturday. The Texans are set to play New Mexico on Friday at 3 p.m. This will be the first meeting between the two teams.  
  • No video stream will be available for Friday's game; however, fans can follow the live stats link on our website.  
  • Tarleton will take on Northern Arizona on Saturday at 1 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+. Only Tarleton at Northern Arizona will be available to stream this weekend for the Texans. 
 
ABOUT THE MATCHUP
  • Tarleton and New Mexico will meet for the first time on Friday 
  • Northern Arizona leads the all-time series 1-0. The first and only match between the two teams took place on Aug. 25, 2023. 
 
LAST TIME OUT
  • During Tarleton's last match against Northern Arizona, Allison Bryant led the team in kills with 13. Bryant continues to shine in 2024, leading the team in kills with 77 through six games and is currently seventh in the WAC in that category. Additionally, Megan Hodges led the team in assists during the last match against Northern Arizona, and she continues to do so in the 2024 season. Hodges has 182 assists through six games which ranks fourth in the WAC. 
  • Emma Burke led the team in blocks (3) and aces (2) during their last match against Northern Arizona. She currently leads the Texans in blocks with 10. 

QUICK HITS: 
  • Tatum Busch was selected to the All-Tournament team for the Tommie Invitational in St. Paul, Minnesota.  
  • Tarleton ranks first in the WAC in digs with 392.  
  • Tarleton has two players in the WAC top-five for total digs. 
  • In the opening weekend, Allison Bryant was named to the Lion Invitational All-Tournament Team. The senior tied or led the team in kills in each match, totaling 41 on the weekend.  
  • Megan Hodges set the Texans new D1 era single match record with 48 assists against Arkansas Little Rock. Hodges went on to tie this number Sept. 6 against Northern Illinois.  
  • Last season's Second Team All-WAC selection Emma Burke, was named to 2024 Preseason All-WAC Team.  
  • Tarleton State entered the 2024 season with nine returners and nine newcomers.  
  • The Texans are coming into the 2024 season after notching the most wins in a single season since becoming a Division l program last year. 
  • The head coach for the Texans, Mary Schindler, is in her 20th season as the leading lady for Tarleton State Volleyball. The Texan coaching staff consists of assistant Hannah McManus-Smith (fifth season), assistant Damien Hardy (first season), and graduate assistant and former player, Matti Theurer (first season). 

NEW TEXANS ON THE BLOCK:  
  • In the 2024 season, Tarleton State Volleyball will welcome eight newcomers to the court. 
  • LaNeah Lara comes to Tarleton State from Blinn College. The outside hitter from Anthony, New Mexico spent the past two seasons with the Buccaneers.  
  • Courtney Carter joins the Purple and White after one season at Louisiana Tech. The sophomore, outside hitter/right side is a Tomball, Texas, native.
  • Tehana Mo'o is a sophomore from Syracuse, Utah. The outside hitter joins the Texans after one season with Central Wyoming College.
  • Sophomore, Yuna Ansquer, comes to Tarleton State from Iowa Western College. Ansquer is a setter from Qumiper, France.
  • Stephanie Sarmezan is a sophomore, middle blocker from Sainte Anne, Quebec, Canada. Sarmezan joins us after one season with Iowa Western Community College. • Kristen Kuehn is a freshman from Brenham, Texas. The Brenham HIgh School graduate is a defensive specialist and libero.
  • Madeline O'Goman comes to Tarleton State from New Braunfels, Texas. She is entering her freshman season as a middle blocker and outside hitter.
  • Freshman, Mya Cabrera, is a Newcastle High School graduate. The Newcastle, Texas, native, is a middle blocker and right side hitter.
  • Tatum Busch is a freshman outside hitter from Deer Park, Texas. She comes to us from Deer Park High School. 

BURKE AND FRANK EARN WAC AWARDS: 
  • Before the start of the 2024 season, Emma Burke was selected to the preseason AllWAC Team.  
  • Burke was one of nine players selected to the team. She is one of three middle blockers on the preseason All-WAC squad.  
  • The junior earned the Texans' first WAC preseason honor. 
  • Emma Burke became the second Texan to earn a WAC first or second team selection with a 2023 Second Team All-WAC selection. 
  •  The sophomore compiled an impressive 118.0 blocks to lead the Purple and White, notching 15 solo blocks and 103 block assists.  
  • The Godley, Texas, native has amassed 330.5 points for Tarleton State. The middle blocker has tallied 35 aces and 229 kills. Burke closed out the regular season with a .408 hitting percentage.  
  •  She tallied nine total blocks in the match against UT Arlington for her season-high.  
  •  Burke claimed six aces in one match alone this season and compiled 18 points against Texas A&M-Commerce.  
  • Madison Frank was selected to the Freshman All-WAC squad following the 2023 season. • In her first year as a Texan, Frank has played a great role in the defensive success for the team with 59.0 total blocks in 29 matches.  
  •  The freshman has also contributed 122 kills and amassed 152.0 points for the Purple and White.  
  •  The Aledo, Texas, native saw a new season-high in blocks (8) and points (9) against the Wildcats in the last regular season match. 
 
DEFENSIVE DOMINATION:  
  • The Texans are making a stamp on the defensive end in 2024, where they rank first in the WAC for total digs with 392.  
  • Tarleton currently has two players in the WAC top-five for digs: Emma Halcomb (first, 92 digs) and Addison Goss (fourth, 76 digs). 
  • This year, Tarleton State was picked to finish fifth in the WAC preseason poll. The Texans finished fifth last season after being selected to finish ninth in the preseason poll. 

BRYANT NAMED TO ALL-LION TOURNAMENT TEAM: 
  • Allison Bryant earned an All-Tournament selection in the first tournament of the season.
  • The senior led or tied for the team led in kills in all three matches, totaling 41.
  • She hit a whopping .343 in the final match of the weekend notching 14 kills.
  • She also registered 15 digs, 2 blocks and an ace across the trio of matches. 
HALCOMB'S FINAL RUN: 
  • Emma Halcomb has officially made her return to Tarleton State Volleyball to fulfill her final season of eligibility of indoor volleyball.
  • Last year, Halcomb took a break from her time on the hardwood and hit the sand courts for the inaugural season of beach volleyball at Tarleton.
  • The graduate student had returned to the Wisdom Gym for one final run with Coach Schindler and the ladies of Tarleton State Volleyball. 

SCHINDLER: 
  • Head coach Mary Schindler has 373 victories in 601 matches as a collegiate head coach, all at Tarleton.  
  • She ranks in the top 50 among active NCAA D1 head coaches in victories.  
  • Entering her 20th season, she is one of 24 active head coaches to coach 20 years or more at the same institution.  
  • Coach Schindler needs just 27 more victories to reach 400. She is already the winningest Texan coach in program history. 

HARDY: 
  • The newest addition of the 2024 Volleyball staff is Damien Hardy.  
  • Hardy joins Texan Nation from Menlo College where he was an assistant coach from 2019-2024.  
  •  The Pearl City, Hawaii, native, has also coached at Notre de Namur.  
  •  Hardy is a graduate from the class of 1991 at the University of Hawaii where he played men's volleyball. 

BUSCH MAKES ALL-TOURNAMENT AT TOMMIE INVITATIONAL: 
  • Freshman Tatum Busch was selected to the All-Tournament team for the Tommie Invitational September 5-7  
  •  Only player from Tarleton to make the All-Tournament team at the Tommie Invitational. 
  •  Registered her third double-digit kill performance of the season against Valparaiso with 10 kills.  
  •  Busch had a career-high 13 kills on 46 total attacks vs Northern Illinois. 

STATS AMONG THE WAC: 
  • Allison Bryant ranks 7th in the WAC in kills (77)  
  • Emma Halcomb is 2nd in the WAC in digs (91)  
  • Allison Bryant is top 10 in the WAC in total points  
  • Tarleton is 4th in the WAC in assists with 11.35 A/S  
  • Tarleton is 1st in the WAC in digs (392)  
  • Megan Hodges is 4th in the WAC in assists per set (7.91)  
  • Bryant is 3rd in the WAC in attacks per set (10.09)
  • Hodges is 4th in the WAC in total assists (182)  
  • Tarleton has two players in the top five in total digs across the WAC.  
  • Emma Halcomb (#1, 91 digs)  
  • Addison Goss (#4, 76) 
COMMERCE TOURNAMENT RECAP: 
  • Madison Frank had double-digit kills in two of three games during the tournament (10 vs Little Rock, 14 vs Commerce)  
  • Allison Bryant had double-digit kills in ALL of the three Lion Invitational games. She has only failed to reach this number once all season.  
  • Tatum Busch had three service aces vs Commerce, which is a single game team high this season. 

TOMMIE INVITATIONAL RECAP: 
  • Faith Wilkins played her second game of the season against NIU and recorded 10 kills on 27 total attacks.  
  •  Emma Halcomb tied her season-high of 19 digs vs Northern Illinois. She has reached double-digit digs in ALL games this season.  
  •  Allison Bryant had a season-high 19 kills vs Northern Illinois.  
  •  Megan Hodges had a season-high in both kills (3) and digs (14) against Northern Illinois. 

SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAYS: 
  • Tehana Mo'O September 20th  
  • Matti Theurer (Volleyball Graduate Assistant) September 5th 

OPPONENT SCOUTING REPORT: 
NEW MEXICO  
• Jon Newman-Goncahr has 77 total wins as coach of the Lobos.  
• Newman-Gonchar has had seven All-Conference selections.  
• Two-time alternate coach for the Tokyo 2020 and Rio 2016 Olympics  
• Five-time medalist in international competitions  
• New Mexico has a 5-1 overall record  
• New Mexico is on a three-game win streak  
• Have outscored their last three opponents 9-2 on sets  
NORTHERN ARIZONA  
• 2-4 overall record  
• Three game losing streak  
• Outscored 1-9 on sets in their last three games  
• Ken Murphy had two post-season berths at UTEP  
• 186-125 Record at Northern Arizona  
• 11th year at Northern Arizona 

2023 ACADEMIC ACCOMPLISHMENTS: 
2023 All-WAC Academic Honors  
• Emma Burke  
• Megan Hodges  
• Matti Theurer (Former Player, Now Graduate Assistant)  
• Madison Frank 

UP NEXT: This will be Tarleton's last road tournament of the season. They will take on McNeese Tuesday, Sept. 17 in Lake Charles, Louisiana before heading back to Stephenville for a four-game home stint starting Sept. 19 against Oral Roberts. 
 
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Players Mentioned

Emma Burke

#11 Emma Burke

MB
5' 11"
Sophomore
Megan Hodges

#6 Megan Hodges

S
5' 8"
Sophomore
Matti Theurer

#10 Matti Theurer

DS
5' 7"
Junior
Madison Frank

#9 Madison Frank

MB
6' 1"
Freshman
Addison Goss

#16 Addison Goss

DS/L
5' 3"
Freshman
Allison Bryant

#7 Allison Bryant

OH
5' 10"
Junior
Faith Wilkins

#13 Faith Wilkins

RS
6' 1"
Freshman
Tehana Mo

#1 Tehana Mo'o

OH
5' 9"
Sophomore
Yuna Ansquer

#2 Yuna Ansquer

S
5' 10"
Sophomore
LaNeah Lara

#3 LaNeah Lara

OH
5' 10"
Redshirt Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Emma Burke

#11 Emma Burke

5' 11"
Sophomore
MB
Megan Hodges

#6 Megan Hodges

5' 8"
Sophomore
S
Matti Theurer

#10 Matti Theurer

5' 7"
Junior
DS
Madison Frank

#9 Madison Frank

6' 1"
Freshman
MB
Addison Goss

#16 Addison Goss

5' 3"
Freshman
DS/L
Allison Bryant

#7 Allison Bryant

5' 10"
Junior
OH
Faith Wilkins

#13 Faith Wilkins

6' 1"
Freshman
RS
Tehana Mo

#1 Tehana Mo'o

5' 9"
Sophomore
OH
Yuna Ansquer

#2 Yuna Ansquer

5' 10"
Sophomore
S
LaNeah Lara

#3 LaNeah Lara

5' 10"
Redshirt Sophomore
OH